Column: Martin recognizes mistake

Coach wise to address incident before media could bring it up

Chris Merriewether says "it's not a big deal at all," that coach Frank Martin whacked him -- Martin's words -- in the arm after a critical turnover late in Kansas State's 74-68 loss Saturday at Missouri.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The day and age we live in dictated that Frank Martin begin his postgame news conference with a statement on Saturday.

Nothing regarding constant fouls, bottomless free throws, late defensive breakdowns, ineffective post play or the homecourt advantage that contributed to the 30th straight win for Mizzou in its namesake arena.

Instead, an apology was issued.

"I kind of whacked Chris Merriewether in the side there after that one turnover, and we just talked about that in the locker room," said the Kansas State basketball coach.

"That's a mistake on my part. I'm an old-school guy, but I also understand that times are real sensitive right now. I love him, and I don't know what to tell you. Wrong on my part, completely out of line and had no part in the game. I need to apologize for those actions."

Good for Martin. He admitted to his mistake up front and repeated that privately to me before boarding the bus to head home after Missouri took charge late to trip K-State 74-68 in the Big 12 opener.

Martin also satisfied his boss, athletic director John Currie, in discussing the incident upon his return to Manhattan.

"Coach Martin clearly understands his contact with Chris at the end of the game was unacceptable, regardless of the emotion of the moment," Currie said in a statement released late Saturday. "I am proud of coach Martin for immediately apologizing and I expect that there will be no further such incidents."

The "flick," as Martin also described the incident, more resembled a quick jab. It happened with 1:17 remaining and the Wildcats huddled at their bench after Jamar Samuels fouled out. Seconds earlier, a pass by Merriewether was stolen by the Tigers' Marcus Denmon, one of 21 turnovers committed by K-State.

Sure, Martin understands the perception he's a hothead. He even used that word mockingly to describe himself when recalling his preseason take on Missouri and how the Tigers were unfairly overlooked.

Maybe the incident will solidify the image some perceive of Martin the madman.

No question, he is intense. Volatile, even. While Martin has proven he can coach, something many doubted, he must now prove he can control his temper. Currie may have accepted Martin's apology, but the K-State AD surely can't accept another such outburst.

At least Martin was quick to address his sideline indiscretion and appropriately confronted it head on. The matter was handled swiftly, and properly, especially based on Merriewether's own reaction.

"It was just the heat of the moment, big game, a lot of big plays going on," said the senior backup, a former walk-on Martin awarded a scholarship. "We've got to have some of those plays. I mean, he hit me in the arm."

Oh, but this is the new and evolving world of P.C. sports — where Mark Mangino, Mike Leach and Jim Leavitt recently lost their jobs as head football coaches stemming from behavioral issues that were primarily outside the public domain.

When advised of the stir Martin's whack could cause, Merriewether affirmed his support of the K-State coach.

"I trust Frank, Frank trusts me. He's had my back since day one. I'll always have his back," Merriewether said.

No need, apparently, to call Daddy.

If anything, the Cats' toughness, at least inside, is the biggest issue to address coming out of their first loss in 11 games.

Their starting frontcourt — Dominique Sutton, Curtis Kelly and Luis Colon — combined for 10 points. Kelly didn't even play 10 minutes and probably wouldn't have re-entered late in the game had Colon and Jamar Samuels not fouled out.

But K-State relied far too much on scoring from its backcourt. Merriewether included. He netted a career-high eight points. By doing so, Merriewether again became a subject of conversation for Martin.

"He knows that he has his limitations on offense," Martin said. "He plays with an unbelievable desire. And that's what gives him the opportunity to play in the Big 12. But when he's your third best offensive player in a basketball game, you're going to have some issues."

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A tip of the hat to Frank Martin for his quick apology. Undoubtedly, with all of the scrutiny that coaches have been under lately, he could see a potential "tempest in a teapot" brewing. Getting out their immediately with what I'm sure is a heartfelt apology will hopefully take any steam out of a potential story.

Would Coach Martin have been so quick to voice his apology if it hadn't been a televised game? The other coaching incidents cited, were out of the public eye. Isn't intensity an excuse, as from his demeanor on TV he always looks angry. What happens at practice?

Nice display of deportment coach. I suppose the Merriewether move was one you just picked up from your old mentor Huggy Bear. Lighten up and try smiling a little Frank. You look like somebody just - oh well never mind we'll just consider the source.

I watched the game...the sad part is that as soon as it happened, Coach Martin quit coaching. He coached his heart out that whole game, he rode the ref's when neccesary, etc.... his mind set changed from how to win this game, to "oh, oh," I just did "the death penalty" mistake. You can't tell me that his focus didn't change when he had to start thinking of "what to say afterwards...how should I say it...what will the magic words be to satisfy the AD." A simple, I WAS WRONG was enough for this KU fan. If coaches can't show their passion for what they are paid to do, then don't have coaches, just get a micro-managed "computer, to push the buttons. He met no intent to harm, he got caught up in the moment, and I hope (for his sake) that it doesn't happen, again.

If this behavior is ok because Frank apologized then the AD must realize that it is ok behavior even if the team isn't ranked in the top 10. Something tells me this would be a huge deal if the Cats weren't ranked so high. Mangino was tolerated when they were winning orange bowls but as soon as they lose 5 in a row he's in trouble. If you don't fire Frank now because of this you better not do it if they lose 5 Big 12 games in a row!

Martin's 'poke' was nothing compared to the punishment the players give each other on the court. It was no where close to abusive and Merriwether did not suffer any damage from it.

Mangino did far more than poke a player. Leavitt reportedly choked and struck a player. Leach was the victim of a helicopter parent with a national media syndicate behind him. This stuff is just getting ridiculous.

I am not in favor of abuse -- but a poke, slap on the arm, etc. -- let's get real!! I've played sports and I can tell you in the heat of the moment it is easy to do these things. These coaches are not beating these players up -- heck, the players do that to themselves!! Mangino's poke was to a player's chest -- oh, no one mentioned the player had his football pads on and probably didn't even feel it. And, Frank, slapped a players arm -- yea, so what!! Leach puts a guy in a closet as big as a one car garage -- not a very small closet if you ask me. My brother had several concusions when he was playing sports, and being quiet in a dark room is not a bad thing -- being out on the field taking additional hits is a bad thing!! These spoiled players and their parents need to get a life; along with the press!! My hat is off to Merriweather for saying it is no big deal!!!!!

Again, I am not for abuse -- this is not abuse!! Frank's mouth would be more abuse than this slap on the arm!!

This so-called "new and evolving world of P.C. sports" is going to be the death of sports as we know it. What we're really seeing is the Oprah-fication of sports right before our very eyes. No one gets their feelings hurts, everyone gets treated the same, and we all go home happy and feeling oh so good about ourselves and the opponents we just played against. Sad.

"Submitted by shellknobhawk on Sun, 01/10/2010 - 7:21am.
His antics were on national television and reflects poorly on KSU, furthering the image that the team is just a bunch of thugs."

Shellknobhawk, this is the first I've heard of this "image that the team is just a bunch of thugs." Are you confusing the K-State team with the Jayhawks football and basketball teams who had several incidents of fighting with each other???

Get rid of him now to avoid the embarrassment later. What is going to happen the next time a player gets in his way in the moment of one of his explosive tirades? How will he excuse his behavior when this happens again? If he let this slip during a game, on the national stage at that, one could just imagine what goes on during practice. Just wait until their storybook season starts to crumble and all the stories from the disgruntled players start coming out, no school is immune from it.

I heard that Mangino had used a broom handle on some of his players. However, I still dont think what Martin did was right and I think he should be fired for it. If the USF coach can get fired for grabbing a kid's should pads and telling him to pull his head out of his butt, then I think Martin should be fired for hitting a player and knocking him backward. If I was that player, I would have probably punched Martin right back. Merrieweather has probably heard about how the other players that accused their coaches of abuse have been made fun of, and that is probably why he is saying it is no big deal. How many Adam James jokes have been made in the past couple of weeks? I heard the family had to go out and hire the kid body guards because of all the threats. Nobody wants to go through something like that. So of course Merrieweather is going to say it is no big deal, when in fact, it is a big deal because a coach has no business hitting his players.

Are you referring to the ONE incident that occurred between the basketball/football team? Drop it already!

As far as KU being filled with "thugs"....I think every team has its share of thugs. We deal with the thugish behavior of the Morris twins, you get ********** Clemente. None of which can professionally speak english when interviewed....it is what it is.

In regards to your silly comment, "as a desperate KU fan wishing something to happen to KSTATE"...lol....how juvenile can we be here?! This is the first time KSU has been ranked since the early 70's....and KU is still a higher seed. What is there to be envious of?

I agree with many of the posts here. As a KU fan (obviously), I respect Merriwether's response to Martins actions. This kind of behavior between coaches and teams is far from uncommon....we're just noticing it more now. I don't see the big deal here. It really is no different than the Mangino fiasco, except that AD Perkins butt-heads with Mangino from day one thus, this was his way of terminating his contract. It was merely a personality conflict with Mangino and Perkins that caused the termination.

As a KU fan, I applaud what KSU has done with the basketball program. It says a lot for the big 12 in general. Both Kansas Universities are ranked in the top 25, thats truly amazing. I've enjoyed watching KSU succeed this year, it's trash-talking fans that ruin it.

if i read your post correctly, I can infer that anyone that doesn't 'professionally speak english' is a **********. I know a lot of thugs then..

And...do you guys have any idea what kind of person Merriewether is? He is an incredible ambassador/student-athlete for KSU; he was on the committee that elected the new KSU President. His GPA is very high and he works his tail off (which is why he sees minutes). His comments are not "to cover himself". He is true to himself and his university.

Sounds like a desperate k-state fan trying to defend your savior. Coaches are being fired left and right for things that have alledgedly happened. This case is totally different, it happened on national television. It doesn't matter if he barely touched him, the fact is (and everybody saw it) he did touch him and it wasn't a pat on the back or a high five. I don't wish anything bad on k-state (they will take care of that themselves), but Frank Martin should be held accountable for his actions just like all these other coaches no matter what sport they coach. Let me ask you this, would you feel the same about this if they were not ranked in the top 25? Be honest with your answer and don't say yes just because they currently are ranked 13th.

The fact is, the only reason Frank even had to apologize is because he knew that there would be a bunch of jokers trying to turn this into a Mangino/Leach/Leavitt type of incident. Mangino was habitually abusive to his players and others on and off campus, not just physically but also verbally, AND refused to admit he had ever screwed up. Leach flat out refused to apologize because he thought he was bigger than the school. He didn't lose his job because of what he did to Adam James. He lost it because of who Adam James' daddy is and because he refused to follow a directive from his boss. At my job, if I tell my boss I refuse to do something, I get fired for insubordination. That is what happened to MIke Leach. Leavitt was fired for CHOKING a kid, not slapping him on the arm. You may not agree with the way Frank handles himself on the court, but these kids will run through fire for him. They absolutely believe in the coach and have his back. You didn't see that with any of the other three coaches mentioned.

"but these kids will run through fire for him. They absolutely believe in the coach and have his back. You didn't see that with any of the other three coaches mentioned."

Any player would run through fire as long as the team is winning. If this team happens to take a nose dive and misses the tourney (highly unlikely) I would be willing to bet Frank Martins actions and intensity will be to blame.